German Shoe Pr0n

The Japanese are the undisputed masters of shoe porn. I know of no other country that produces either the breadth or the depth of quality shoe pictures that the Japanese do, both online and in print. But other countries also put out some quality, XXX-rated stuff. The French have a few of magazines either substantially or partially about shoes (Pointure and Monsieur are the ones whose titles I can remember), and there is the fabulous Souliers.net website. And now the Germans weigh in with their entry: Alles über Herrenschuhe by Helge Sternke. This is a massive, coffee-table-style book, 559 pages long with lots of full-color glossy illustrations. But there is also a great deal of text, and it looks like it would be extremely interesting, if only I could read German. Here's the blurb on the back cover:

Alles über Herrenschuhe ist ein umfassendes Nachschlagewerk rund um den hochwertigen Herrenschuh. Die gründlich recherchierten Hintergründe sind für Kenner und Einsteiger gleichsam interessant, lehrreich und unterhaltsam. Der Spaziergang durch die unterschiedlichen Ledersorten, Schuhtypen und Modelle liefert wertvolle Insidertipps für die Auswahl des perfekten Schuhwerks. Mehr als 400 Fotos und Zeichnungen sowie ein umfangreiches Glossar machen den Band zum Standardwerk für alle Liebhaber klassischer Herrenschuhe. Neben den einzelnen werden auch die grossen Herstellermarken besprochen: [a list of many well-known ready-to-wear and bespoke makers]

Got that? If not, here's a Google translation:

Everything about men's shoes is a comprehensive reference work around the high quality men's shoe. The thoroughly researched backgrounds are for experts and beginners as interesting, informative and entertaining. The walk through the different grades of leather, footwear types and models provides valuable insider tips for choosing the perfect shoe factory. More than 400 photographs and drawings, and a comprehensive glossary band to make the standard work for all lovers of classic men's shoes. In addition to the individual will also be discussed big brands:

It certainly seems that, and I have never had more of an urge to learn German. It was very expensive; but it's worth it, at least to me.